CARRIER, PARTICULARLY FOR SEVERAL BOTTLES

Abstract: A carrier (10; 10') for a series of bottles (2) having an upwardly conically converging neck (3) and an upper end (7) showing an outer thread for a screw cap (8), or a capsule fastened to an upper bottle collar. The carrier comprises initially a substantially flat sheet (1; 1') made of corrugated cardboard having five longitudinal sections, namely a central section (11; 11'), to the longitudinal edges of which connect two intermediate sections (12; 12' and 13; 13'), to which latter in their turn connect two outer sections (14; 14' and 15; 15'). The sections are separated from each other by grooves (17) and have openings (20; 20'; 21; 21', 22; 22'), which will be aligned, when the sheet is folded to a closed form of profile, and which openings are designed to be penetrated by the neck (3) and the cap (8) of the bottles (2). According to the invention, said sheet and said carrier, respectively, have in the central section (11; 11') foldable flaps (27; 27'; 27'') and in the intermediate sections (12; 12'; 13; 13') support flaps (24; 24'; 24''). The flaps are pressed against the cap (8) of the bottles (2) or against any flange (4) or an outer section (14; 14') and the neck (3) to counteract relative movements between the bottles and the carrier respectively for mutual coordination of the latter. The support flaps support and lock the flaps in the position of use.

Description: CARRIER, PARTICULARLY FOR SEVERAL BOTTLES The present invention relates to a carrier designed for a series of bottles and is set forth in detail in the preamble of claim 1. Such a carrier is already known through our Norwegian- pa¬ tent no 166 852. Also, it functions very satisfactorily within certain frameworks and for certain types of bottles. However, it is true that certain types of bottles and caps, particularly some capsules and screw caps, often substan¬ tially wear the carrier, particularly if the bottles are fairly heavy and possibly are subjected to protracted and/ or frequent movements, e.g. oscillating movements during a lengthy carrying during walking or even running. The rela¬ tively thin and sharp edges of the capsule, which carries the weight of the entire bottle, can then cut into or be pressed into the corrugated cardboard material, which sur¬ rounds the respective holes, which results in even larger oscillating movements of the bottle, which movements in their turn increase the wear and tear even faster. The roun¬ ded lower edge of a screw cap may instead like a wedge pe¬ netrate into and finally through the upper hole of the car¬ rier. A bottle or several bottles may in this way inadver¬ tently be free and fall down and be crushed or break, which of course cannot be accepted. At the same time it is at least primarily not desirable to use a more stable material than corrugated cardboard, e.g. a plastic material, since a plastic material and possibly also a metallic material are materials, which lead to waste problems, which must be avoided as much as possible. Corrugated cardboard is much less harmless to the environment and can be produced from recovered raw material and it is broken down quickly, if it nevertheless ends up in nature or it can be combusted without resulting in contaminants which are difficult to handle. Another disadvantage may be that a sheet for a carrier essentially only is designed for one type of bottle and one bottle dimension. Also, it may be difficult, at least be a waste of time, to manually or semi- or fully automatically apply the known carrier onto bottles orvice versa, since at least in certain phases unambiguous and reliably and safeily functioning control means- axe not avail¬ able. Finally, it may be necessary to oversize the corru¬ gated cardboard to some extent and/or treat it in a cer¬ tain way in order to stiffen it and obtain a satisfactory carrying capacity and a certain safety margin for it re¬ spectively. Some liquid waste may then occur. EP-A1-0 048 506 relates to a carrier of the type described above. However, in this known carrier relative movements between the bottles and the carrier may occur, provided the latter is not made with a completely play-free shape- adaptation in relation to the bottles, on which the carrier is to be applied. However, such a play-free shape-adapta- ' i> tion results in disadvantages. Thus, it may be difficult to press the carrier onto the bottles the additional distance, which is required to let the flaps reach their locking po¬ sitions, subsequent to which a smaller returning movement must be possible. It will then be impossible to obtain a stable bond between such a carrier and smaller bottles, whereas larger bottles cannot be handled at all. During relative movements the flaps may easily be displaced, the locking effect being discontinued, and the bottles can in¬ advertently be disengaged from the carrier, fall down and break. Another risk is that during relative movements par¬ ticularly the flaps may be damaged, which endangers the functioning of the entire carrier, particulary makes it difficult or impossible' to use the carrier, respectively.., Finally, it is of course a substantial drawback, that this known carrier is supplied in a glued condition, which ob¬ structs and raises the price of its handling, transport and storage. All kinds of gluing is objectionable, provi- ded there are not important reasons for using gluing in very special cases, when of course other types of machines for applying the carrier must be used in addition to seve¬ ral other inconveniencies. The object of the persent invention is to develop an im¬ proved carrier, which can be designed and' produced in a simple and economic way, which allows more reliable inser¬ tion of the bottles, i.e. with an improved, simple and safe control, which also retains the carried objects in a se¬ cure grip in a most play-free manner and which chiefly shows its superiority through its excellent resistance against wear and bursting, a substantial security as to goods handling being guaranteed. Another object is to al¬ low larger tolerances and other measure and design devia¬ tions, which much more than up to now will be compensated for just one carrier or a few carriers designed and dimen¬ sioned in different ways. Also, the idea of the principal solution will allow the use of the carrier for multiple use, possibly using new starting materials or material combina¬ tions. The carrier will be simple, quick and reliable, par¬ ticularly as regards the control when it is applied onto bottles or vice versa and it will be possible to advanta¬ geously use not only a manual but also a semi- or fully au¬ tomatic application without risk of shutdowns or defective assembly. These objects are attained in accordance with the pre-" ".- sent invention by designing a carrier of the type desc¬ ribed in the introduction mainly in such a way as is set forth in the characterizing clause of patent claim 1. Additional characterizing features and-advantages of the-, invention are set forth in more detail in the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, which show in a partly schematic way a few pre¬ ferred but not limiting embodiments of the invention. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a view from above of a finished cut or grooved and/or perforated flat sheet, designed to be formed into a carrier according to the invention, including three primary variants of a detailed design; Fig. 2 is a view from above of a modified finished cut and grooved and/or perforated flat sheet, to be formed into a carrier according to the invention, including two additio¬ nal variants of a detailed design according to the inven¬ tion; and Fig. 3 is a partial lateral view of a finished folded flat sheet, applied onto a series of bottles and designed accor¬ ding to Figs. 1 and 2 to constitute when folded a carrier according to the invention. In Fig. 1 a sheet 1 is shown, designed to become a carrier. This sheet preferably comprises a stiff flat corrugated cardboard. However, a plastic material and/or a metallic one as well as various combinations as laminates thereof respectively can also be used, particularly in case the carrier is to be used repeatedly, which definitely is pos¬ sible regardless of what material is selected. The sheet suitably is rectangular, e.g. somewhat oblong in the same direction as the direction of a series of objects, which will be carried. In Fig. 1 three objects are to be handled, preferably bottles 2, particularly so called "mag¬ num"-bottles, which commonly are used in e.g. the soft drink field. Such bottles have an upwardly conically con¬ verging neck 3, which in certain cases at its top is en¬ closed by collar-like flange 4 with a lower side 5 and an upper side 6, from which latter side the neck extends sub¬ stantially with a cylindric. shape 7.with a smaller diame¬ ter and an outer thread (not shown) , on which a cap 8 is screwed, which has a lower edge 9 facing said flange. As an alternative to the thread and the threaded cap bottle portion 7 can be provided with a flange and a cap without a thread fastened on the flange, which feature is generally known in this field. Sheet 1 is subdivided into five longitudinal rectangular sections, namely one central section, preferably somewhat wider section 11, to which two preferably somewhat less wide sections.12 and 13 connect, section 13 of which being, corresponding to the thickness of the sheet, wider than section 12, since section 15 is to be folded on top of sec¬ tion 14, which is shown in Fig. 3. The width of central section 11 is decisive of the width of the carrier 10, made according to the following description (see Fig. 3) , where¬ as the width of the connected sections 12 and 13 are sub¬ stantially decisive of the height of the device. Finally, the sheet laterally comprises outer sections 14 and 15, which have a width, which substantially corresponds to the width of the central section. A condition for all this is that a carrier having a rectangular cross-section is to be manufactured , e.g. the carrier shown in Fig. 3. It is easy to manufacture other cross-sectional shapes, e.g. a trapezoidal shape, the wider base being positioned either uppermost or lowermost. The above-mentioned sections are separated from each other by e.g. grooves and/or perforations and/or other types of punching or even solely by e.g. an impressed fold indica¬ tion, which maybe is sufficient, if e.g. the sheet per se has a substantially longitudinal structure, e.g. is made of corrugated cardboard. However, it is interesting to ob¬ serve in this regard, that in this case e.g. a corrugated cardboard structure preferably is to extend with its wave shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sheet. The reason for this will be mentioned in the follow¬ ing text. In Fig. 1 grooves or the like are designated 16, 17,18 and 19 respectively. In a preferred embodiment these designations relate to a combination of grooves on the rear or inner side 33 of the sheet and by means of these grooves punching cuts are obtained, which extend in a longitudinal direction and right through the entire sheet, the length of which cuts can be equal to or somewhat longer than the length of the intermediate non-perforated areas. In a prac¬ tical embodiment the punching cuts can have a length of about 14 mm and the adjacent non-punched areas a length of about 12 mm. ■ In this way partly it is easier to fold the sheet and partly it is easier to guarantee that no substan¬ tial bending stress between adjacent sections arises, which sections consequently will retain their straight and flat shape. Also, a design which it is easy to grip will be ob¬ tained, since the sections open up on the outer side, when the sections are folded with an angle of 90 into the de¬ sired shape of use. It may be advantageous to mutually displace (stagger) the punching cuts, e.g. giving the two outer cut lines a different distribution pattern than the two inner cut lines. The two outer sections 14 and 15 are each one provided with e.g. three holes 21 and 20 respectively, arranged in a straight line and with the same mutual distance and straight through the sheet. Holes 20 and 21 have subtan- tially the same size and will, when the sheet is folded, according to Fig. 3 be positioned exactly in front of and above each other respectively. In a preferred embodiment holes 21 in lower section 14 are, when the sheet has been folded into its finished shape, somewhat larger than holes 20 in the upper section. However, central section 11 is not, as is the case with the state of the art, provided with holes conducive to waste of liquid but instead with cuts 22, which extend bet¬ ween the two .adjacent, grooves, or the like,17 and 18. Half¬ way between the latter the areas enclosed in this way are divided in a mirror-symmetrical way into two flap halves 27 through longitudinal cut 23, whichpreferably extends straight through the entire thickness of the sheet, possib- 3 extend below or abut against the lower side of section 14 in order to avoid movements between the bottles and the carrier. It is shown in Fig. 3, that the flaps in a very efficient way support the connection between the bottles and the car¬ rier, since such a support action takes place in the longi¬ tudinal direction of the flaps, in which the flaps have the highest strength or power of resistance, which will be even higher, if as regards e.g. corrugated cardboard the longitudinal direction of the wave is selected perpendicu¬ lar to the longitudinal extension of the sheet in Fig. 1, namely from the base of the flaps towards free edges 23 of the flaps. Fig. 3 also shows clearly, that comparatively large lever or angular forces can be developed between the cap of the bottle and sections 15 and 14, particularly if the openings in central section 11, formed by cuts 22, are larger than the cross-section of the bottle present in said openings. However, at least somewhat larger such openings may be desirable, e.g. in order to make a carrier having the same type and dimension fit objects 2, which vary to some extent as to size and/or shape. Since the flaps in an efficient manner recieve and counteract particularly dia¬ gonal and also vertical movements between bottles and car¬ rier, it is possible to nip arising play and wear in the bud and the entire bond will be extremely stable, actually stable to such an extent, that one does not have to entire¬ ly rely on the carrying capacity of sections 14 and 15 around< their holes. Thus, it is possible to dispense with the special feature, that the material around holes 20 and/or 21 is to penetrate into the space below cap edge 9, e.g. in connection with carriers designed for multiple use. However, usually the existence of also this feature is pre¬ ferred. Flaps 27 and to a certain extent also holes 21, which are somewhat larger than holes 20, contribute to a quick, simple and reliable guidance of the bottle tops in¬ to a carrier according to the invention, since these two features result in a centering influence on the bottle top and the carrier in relation to the bottle tops respective¬ ly, because it is possible in a machine to move the carri¬ er towards the bottles or vice versa. The above-mentioned guidance effect as well as the retai¬ ning and locking effect can be improved by obtaining them in accordance with a few modified embodiments respectively, which are shown in the middle of and at the bottom of Fig. 1 and to the left in Fig. 2. In the two last-mentioned ca¬ ses lateral portions of flaps 27 have been separated by means of grooves and/or perforations 26" and 26"" respec¬ tively in order to obtain roughly triangular support flaps 24"and 24"" respectively, which are designed to be folded about their base lines 26" and 26"" approximetely 90 , the free longitudinal edge in the folded position of the carri¬ er according to Fig. 3 abutting the inner side of section 12 and 13 respectively. In this way the locking position of flaps 27 is guaranteed to an even higher degree and in this way also a larger life and locking capacity of such a carr-< ier. In this connection it is an additional advantage to let the longitudinal direction of the wave of e.g. corru¬ gated cardboard extend perpendicular to cuts 23, because the corrugated cardboard may then be elastically bent out¬ wards between a pair of support flaps 24" and 24 ""respec¬ tively, which maybe will be required, particularly in case the bottles have a flange 4. It is also possible to use support flaps 24 in sections 12 and 13 as an alternative to parts of support flaps formed from flaps 27. Such an alternative is shown in the middle of Fig. 1, in which grooved bas lines are designated 26 and the hypotenuse cut 25, whereas the small size sides are cut through within the grooves and/or perforations 16 and 19 respectively. Such support flaps 24 has the advantage com¬ pared to flap-bonded support flaps, that they can be fol¬ ded inwards from their sections 12 and 13 subsequent to the

Claims: sheet and/or the guiding effect and a retaining and lock¬ ing effect respectively of the flaps (27;27";27"") being designed to be strengthened and obtained by means of sup¬ port flaps (24;24";24"") , which influence the flaps, which support flaps are folded roughly 90° in relation to the flaps and the corresponding sections (12,12" and 13,13" respectively) respectively. 2. A carrier according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that said sections are separated by grooves arranged preferably only on the rear side or the inner side and/or perforations and/or other forms of punchings or solely by imprinted fold indications (16;16";17;17";18; 18";19;19"), particularly if the sheet per se has a struc¬ ture, which runs essentially parallel to said grooves or the like, e.g. a type of corrugated cardboard, and/or that the wave form of the corrugated cardboard-structure runs perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the sheet. 3. A carrier according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the sections are separated by a combi¬ nation of grooves in their longitudinal direction and punch¬ ing cuts extended straight through the entire thickness of the sheet, the length of which cuts preferably is equal to or somewhat larger than the length of the intermediate non-perforated areas, particularly in order to in this way facilitate folding and in order to avoid substantial bending stresses between connecting sections and/or in or¬ der to form a grip facilitating pattern, since the cuts are designed to open up on the outer side subsequent to the folding of the sections e.g. 90 into the desired shape of use, and in that the cuts preferably are dis¬ placed (staggered) in relation to each other, e.g. with the two outermost cut lines in the sheet punched according to another distribution pattern than the two innermost cut lines are punched. holes (20) , in that the annular area between the annular groove and the wall of the hole preferably is slit in a star-shaped fashion and designed to be pressed with the cap (8) upwards through the upper holes (20) and then to be placed around the periphery of the cap with a certain remaining elastic resilience. 10. A carrier according to any of claims 1-9, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the flaps and/or the support flaps are made from the intermediate section (12,13) and/or as an extension of one of or of the outer sections and/or in that the opening cuts (22,22") are replaced by grooves and in that said cuts (23,23") are arranged straight bet¬ ween the latter perpendicular to the grooves (17,18) bet¬ ween the central section and the intermediate sections.

Inventors: HANSEN FINN R, HANSEN, FINN, R.
Applicants: DALWELL AB, HANSEN FINN R, HANSEN, FINN, R.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65D71
IPC codes: B65D71